


The Dark Had Wooden Teeth

by SadGelatin



Series: Still Want To Know You [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Developing Relationships, Light Angst, M/M, Walks In The Park, hand holding, late night discussions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-01-16 09:48:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18518950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadGelatin/pseuds/SadGelatin
Summary: Jason: Hey.Jason: Are you awake?Dick rubbed at his eyes until he saw galaxies before trying to formulate a response to Jason's texts. He stared at his phone, his brain kicking slowly to a start. Finally, he got his fingers to cooperate and he typed out his reply.Dick: What's up?





	The Dark Had Wooden Teeth

**Author's Note:**

> ha  
> look what i finally did  
> i'm fucking determined not to abandon my current projects, even if it takes me four months to update.  
> here's the next part!
> 
> title is from the song living proof by gregory alan isakov

Dick's phone buzzed beneath the pillow near his hand where he had tucked it as he'd fallen asleep. He rose his head up a little from the pillow and blinked into the darkness, confused and disoriented from the sleep he'd just been pulled from. The phone buzzed again and he closed his fingers around it to pull it towards his face. He turned it on and squinted at the bright screen. The time read 2:38 am and he had two new texts. They were both from Jason.

**Jason: Hey.**

**Jason: Are you awake?**

Dick rubbed at his eyes until he saw galaxies before trying to formulate a response to Jason's texts. He stared at his phone, his brain kicking slowly to a start. Finally, he got his fingers to cooperate and he typed out his reply.

**Dick: What's up?**

Slowly, Dick pulled himself up into a sitting position and stretched his arms forward to pop his back, trying to shake the sleep from his brain. Once his eyes were adjusted to the darkness, he slid from beneath his sheets and stood up. He wandered to the kitchen to get a glass of water, not bothering to turn on the kitchen lights because the street lamp outside his apartment was doing just fine at providing visible light for him to see by.

He slipped his phone out of the waistband of his boxers and set it down on the counter before going to get a glass from the cabinet. As he was filling his glass, his phone buzzed noisily against the counter. He finished filling the glass before going to read the message.

**Jason: Do you want to do something? Are you busy?**

Dick took a sip from his glass and then set it down on the counter. He scooped up his phone and arched an eyebrow at the screen.

**Dick: Jason, it's like 2:40 in the morning. What would I be busy with?**

**Jason: Sleeping? Fucking? Stalking someone? You could work a night shift.**

Before Dick could respond, another text came in.

**Jason: Meet me at the park if you're bored. No plans, I just needed air. And company.**

Dick considered it and drummed his fingers against the counter, chewing on his lower lip. After a minute, he made up his mind and sent a final text.

**Dick: See you in like half an hour. Don't get mugged without me.**

**Jason: I'm big and scary, no need to worry about me.**

Dick chuckled at his phone before setting it down again and going to go get ready. He took a shower because he hadn't when he'd gotten home from work the previous evening, brushed his teeth, and then put on warm clothing. He grabbed his phone once he was done and headed out to the car. It was absolutely freezing outside and for a second he wished he had his coat.

The drive to Robinson Park was about ten minutes, and Dick blasted the heat in his car the whole time. He parked under a street lamp and when he got out of the car, shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them out of the cold. He followed the sidewalk to the entrance of the park, which looked deserted. He walked through the trees heading instinctively towards the bridge.

Three in the morning was a sort of golden hour. Everyone one, scum and lowlifes included, had gone to bed in those few hours before the sun began to rise. Gotham, and the world seemed to be asleep and silent and almost peaceful. Walking beneath the trees with only the lights of the city blinking far above his head, things seemed almost surreal.

That is, until someone grabbed him from behind. He instinctively began to struggle, bringing his elbow back hard, connecting with solid muscle.

He was released and Jason started to laugh as he stepped back, rubbing his side, "That probably wouldn't deter a mugger."

Dick spun and shoved at Jason, although he couldn't fight the smile on his face, "You are an asshole." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't sneak up on me."

"Don't walk around Robinson Park with your head down like that." Jason retorted, catching Dick's wrists in his hands when the man batted at him again and pulling him closer, "You coulda gotten stabbed, and that would have been a real fuckin' shame."

"What a bleeding heart you have." Dick said with a roll of his eyes. He looked up at Jason's face and felt his heart sink. There was a fresh bruise molting the skin across the left side of his face and a nasty gash just beneath his eye that was sluggishly leaking blood and a new split on his lip. He tugged one wrist free and reached for the cut beneath his eye, resting his hand gently against Jason's cheek and touching his thumb to the blood, "Jason, what happened? Why are you bleeding?" He asked, his voice coming out quiet.

Jason turned his face away from Dick, away from his hand, "It's nothing, I just got into a fight. I got hit in the face." He brushed Dick's hand away from his face and let go of his other wrist to take a step back, wiping the back of his knuckles beneath the cut to get rid of the dripping blood.

Dick was quicker and caught Jason's face in both hands this time, gripping his jaw, "Let me look at it." He insisted. Jason let him tilt his head to the side so that he could examine the cut in the dim light over head. The bruising started at his jaw and disappeared beneath his hairline. Beneath the bruising, he could see the old cut above Jason's eyebrow that was still healing from then night they'd met. The fresh cut looked irritated as if Jason had been rubbing at it a lot, and the area beneath it was stained red from the blood Jason had been repeatedly smearing across his skin. Dick prodded gently at the cut with his fingers and Jason winced. When Dick put even the barest amount of pressure on it, it started to bleed with renewed vigor. "Jason, it's bad. This didn't come from somebody's fist. What happened?"

Jason pushed Dick's hands away again, "I told you, it's nothing. I've had worse." He actually did take a step back this time and looked down at the ground. "Look, I didn't text you so I could be mother henned."

Dick inhaled slowly and exhaled through his nose to keep from doing exactly what Jason didn't want him to do, before nodding, "You're right, I'm sorry." He said.

Jason shrugged, "It doesn't matter." He hesitated for a moment, "Thanks, though... For coming out." He was trying to change the subject and Dick let him, "I wasn't sure if you'd answer my texts. Sorry it's so late."

Dick smiled, "It's okay, I don't sleep much anyway." He admitted.

Jason laughed softly and rolled his shoulders before he started to walk, "I don't either, honestly. It's kind of hard to get a full night's rest at my house."

"Do you live alone?" Dick asked as he caught up, walking close to Jason, their arms brushing together. Dick smiled to himself with Jason's fingers slipped through his own, joining their hands.

"No." Jason glanced at Dick, "I live with my parents still. It's kind of hard to get a job when you have a criminal record and no high school degree." He seemed hesitant to admit he had a police record, but Barbara had already mentioned that so Dick wasn't all that surprised.

"What did you do to get a record?" He asked.

Jason shrugged, "Assault, theft, vandalism..."

"Lovely."

"But I don't resort to that stuff anymore. I was young and thought my father was a good role model." Jason said, using his free hand to scratch the short hairs at the back of his neck, "But he went to prison for awhile, and I realized that if I continued to try to be like him, mom was going to be all alone, and I didn't want that."

Dick smiled a little, "We can talk about something else." He offered.

Jason nodded, "Thanks." He cleared his throat and looked at Dick, "What about you? What's your family like?"

Dick hesitated briefly, "Uh... The Waynes are my family." He answered after a beat.

Jason stopped and stared at Dick, his hand dropping away from Dick's and down to his side, "The fucking Waynes." He echoed.

Dick laughed nervously, "Yeah. I was adopted by Bruce Wayne when I was little."

"Ah, man." Jason looked down, "That must be kind of a lot to deal with."

Dick shrugged, moving a little closer to Jason, suddenly worried he'd run off or something, "I'm mostly on my own now." He said hastily, "I visit the family for holidays and stuff, and I've got little brothers, but I branched out."

Jason relaxed a little and looked back up at Dick, "What was that like?" He asked, "Being raised by Bruce Wayne. He seems like maybe he shouldn't have kids."

Dick let out a little laugh, "Uh... Honestly probably not. But he tries." He shrugged and started to walk again, relieved when Jason followed him, "He's still trying, actually. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister."

Jason's fingers slipped back through his, "Big family, huh?"

"Yes. Family events are hectic. They also tend to include Selina Kyle, Bruce's girlfriend, the Gordon's, Stephanie, that's Tim's girlfriend, and Tim is my middle brother, and one time there was a literal live cow at Christmas- I think Damian may have stole him." Dick smiled fondly at the memory and he clung slightly to Jason's hand.

Jason laughed and the sound was just as pretty as the first time he had heard it when Jason had laughed at him on the curb for coughing on cigarette smoke, and it lit up his face, despite the cuts and bruising. Dick found himself staring at him again until Jason glanced at him and grinned knowingly. "Hey. You're doing that thing again."

"Huh?"

"Staring."

Dick blushed a little and he looked away, smiling a little despite himself, "Sorry."

"Don't apologise." Jason said, his voice going quiet and soft, and his smile turning fond when Dick looked back at him. They watched each other for a second before Jason cleared his throat and looked away, tugging Dick onward, "I never had any siblings."

"That's probably a good thing if your dad was as bad as he sounded." Dick said without really thinking.

Jason let out a startled snort that was almost another laugh and looked at Dick, "You're probably right." He admitted. "I think my parents had a hard enough time staying afloat without a child, and then when I was brought into the picture, Willis was barely keeping his head above water, and then I had to step up the day I was old enough. Another kid would have been a train wreck." He shook his head and looked down, but he remained otherwise relaxed, much to Dick's relief.

Jason came to another stop once they were at the bridge. The street light behind them and the one further up were both too far away to really light the bridge. It was cast in shadows, illuminated mostly by the moon and the city lights blinking above them. Jason let go of Dick's hand and went over to lean against one of the rails overlooking the shallow stream that burbled along beneath them. Dick joined him after a moment.

Dick stepped closer to Jason to shield himself from the chill in the air, and Jason moved his arm away from his side, silently inviting Dick to press up against him, which was an invitation that Dick gladly accepted, burrowing himself against Jason's side. The weight of Jason's arm came down around his shoulder and pulled him in tighter, and they lapsed into quiet.

It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, necessarily, but Dick was what he was, and sitting in peaceful silence like this wasn't in his nature. He lasted for about five minutes before he broke the silence. He craned his neck a little to look up at Jason from this close angle and asked, "So... Will you tell me what happened yet?"

Dick could feel Jason's entire body go rigid against his side, and the arm around his shoulder tightened a little before dropping away completely, and Jason was moving away from him.

"I already told you what happened." Jason snapped, sounding almost defensive. Dick turned to look at him. His shoulders drew in a little and he looked like he was making himself small again the way he had been doing the night they first met. "I got punched in the face. It was just a stupid fight."

"Jason, that didn't come from somebody's fist." Dick said softly, stepping forward and reaching towards Jason again. Jason caught his wrist before Dick could touch his face.

"It was nothing." Jason frowned and looked down at Dick's wrist in his hand, but didn't let go, "Look, I really don't want to talk about it, okay? You don't need to worry about me."

Dick knitted his eyebrows and stared up at Jason, concern in his eyes. He stepped forward a little, insinuating himself further into Jason's space, and reached up with his other hand. Jason let this one come rest against the unbruised side of his face, and Dick gently rubbed his thumb against his cheekbone. He had to crane his head back a little to see Jason's eyes, blue-grey and intense with some emotion that Dick couldn't identify.

"Well," He said quietly, "Someone's gotta worry, Jay... You're out here all alone at three in the morning and no one's wondering where you are? Someone has to look out for you."

Jason's grip tightened on Dick's wrist and he swayed forward a little. Dick's breath caught for the brief moment it looked like Jason might kiss him, but instead Jason just bumped his forehead against Dick's and then rested there.

Dick slid his hand back into Jason's hair and curled his fingers through the soft strands. Jason's breathing deepened and he rested his own hand on the side of Dick's face. Dick instinctively leaned into the touch, tilting his head, and then Jason pressed forward and closed the space between them.

The first kiss was... bad. Jason was stiff and the angle wasn't quite right, and Dick quickly learned that Jason had no idea what he was doing. He pulled away from the unsure press of lips and smiled gently, "Relax." He whispered.

Jason just stared at him and nodded a little. Dick closed the gap this time, adjusting Jason's head slightly to find the right angle so that their lips slotted together, and then it was so much better.

The kiss was closed mouthed and shallow, but Dick let out a soft noise all the same, and Jason dropped his wrist in favour of putting his hand on Dick's waist and pulling him closer.

Dick allowed himself to be pulled in until he could feel Jason's body pressed solidly against his own. Dick fisted his now free hand in Jason's hair along side the other one and he tugged lightly until Jason gasped against his lips and he was being pushed backwards into the rail of the bridge.

Dick wasn't entirely sure how long they stood there kissing, but eventually his lungs were screaming for air and his survival instincts had him pulling back to get a breath. Jason followed his mouth and nipped at his lower lip before standing up straight and smiling dumbly down at Dick.

Dick smiled back and then chuckled softly, "Are you trying to distract me from my questions?" He asked, somewhat breathlessly.

Jason removed his hands from Dick's waist and from his hair, and rested them instead on the bridge, caging Dick in, "Is it working?"

"Maybe a little." He admitted, sliding his hands out from Jason's hair to hold his face again. "Do you have a place to go tonight?"

Jason's expression shifted. He frowned and knitted his eyebrows, "Yeah. I gotta go home." He said, "Gotta check on my mom."

Dick nodded and leaned up to give Jason another little kiss. It was brief but Jason gladly returned it.

"I'll call you, though. At a reasonable hour." Jason added once his mouth was unoccupied, "I think I'd like to take you on a proper date."

Dick positively beamed up at Jason, even as the man stepped away and let him off the rail, "I think I'd like that too."

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! comments and kudos are fantastic and i will always appreciate them.


End file.
